Games, to have lasting value and ongoing use, must provide sufficient variety to maintain interest and sufficient challenge to spark competitiveness.
The present game, because of its configuration and means of scoring, accomplishes the two requirements in a unique stuctural fashion. The player, without being able to see the result of previous plays, must locate his piece in a three dimensional container in a position which will cause a score. The container confines successive pieces to a vertical stack but the choice of which one of the multiple columns available is used is dictated by chance or memory.
The pieces are removed from the container for scoring one layer at a time from the bottom and the score is generated by a plurality of identical playing pieces which form a straight line within the given layer.
The strategy then, is to remember the order in which the markers have been played to maximize the number of pieces lying in a straight line in a given plane while simultaneously preventing the opponent from accomplishing the same goal.
Prior art games known to the inventor which utilize multi-dimensional strategies include:
U.S. Pat. No. 680,324 granted to Gedge Aug. 13, 1901 which discloses a three-dimensional block with vertical bores into which flat distinguishable playing pieces are sequentially placed. The bottom of the block is hinged and has receiving cups such that the main portion of the block may be raised to determine the order in which the pieces have been played by the relative position in the stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,701 granted Sept. 2, 1969 to Mahoney discloses a three-dimensional tic-tac-toe game having a plurality of individual removable playing boards which are held in vertical alignment within a cube allowing three dimensional play.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,753 granted Apr. 28, 1970 to Mackey discloses a board game wherein the upper surface represents the surface of the water and the lower surface represents submerged areas permitting a war-type game including ships, depth charges, submarines and torpedos.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,864 granted to Yaworsky Nov. 11, 1980 which discloses a three dimensional game apparatus wherein a minimum of two identical playing surfaces are superimposed during play. The playing pieces and the playing surfaces are partially transparent to permit observation of the location of the playing pieces during play.